Eighteen
by DarkLordTaker
Summary: Hiashi needs to find a suitable husband for Hinata. Rating PG13 for safety. NaruHina
1. Chapter 01

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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**Eighteen**

Hyuuga Hiashi sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. He was starting to get desperate, the thought of which made his skin crawl. However, he only had a few weeks left. The reason: Hinata. His eldest daughter and heiress to the Hyuuga clan, was turning eighteen, and according to tradition, she had to be wed. Hiashi had before him on his desk, the list of possible suitors for her. Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Rock Lee, and Uchiha Sasuke. He looked over the list again and again, inwardly debating with himself over each suitor. He lifted his head as he heard the door open. He watched silently as his nephew, Neji, entered. Neji walked up to he uncle's desk and gave a bow. "Hiashi-sama." 

"Yes, Neji?" 

"If I may say, I'm a little worried about Hinata-sama." 

Hiashi looked at his nephew, "Why do you say that?" 

"Well, she seems more withdrawn than usual. She barely eats and, from what I can tell, she barely sleeps." 

Hiashi gave a sigh, "It's probably just the stress of her birthday coming up." 

Neji glanced at the list. "Are these the possible suitors?" 

"Hai." Hiashi paused, an idea coming to him. "Tell me about them." 

Neji looked up at his uncle's face, "Well, Shino is Hinata-sama's teammate. No one really knows much about the Aburames, they're very quiet. Choji is a good person, though he has a bit of a weight problem, to put it nicely. Kiba is Hinata-sama's other teammate, he's quite obnoxious, yet he tries his hardest to be nice to Hinata-sama. I think he might have a crush on her. Shikamaru is considered a genius, he has an IQ over 200, but he's lazy to boot. Lee's a good person, and could protect her well, but he's too obsessed over Sakura to even give Hinata-sama a glance. And Sasuke seems to have absolutely no interest in relationships of any kind." 

Hiashi frowned, that didn't help at all. "Would Hinata be willing to date any of them?" 

"I don't think so. With the slight exception of Kiba." 

"Why not?" 

"Well, to be totally honest, I think Hinata-sama has her eyes on someone else." 

Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to know who?" 

Neji only responded with a nod. Hiashi frowned. 

"Well, who is it?" 

"She wouldn't appreciate it if I told you." 

"Neji…" 

For once, Neji stuttered. 

"H-hai?" 

"I am ordering you to tell me who it is." 

Neji closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

"Uzumaki Naruto."

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That's all for now! Review and tell me what you think please! 


	2. Chapter 02

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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**Chapter 2**

Naruto staggered through the Kohona gates, his teammates and sensei walking calmly right behind him. Naurto felt more tired than he could imagine. All he wanted right now was to lie down on his bed and sleep …and perhaps a massage from Sakura-chan. He almost laughed at the thought, but he decided against it …it would hurt too much to laugh right now. 

As they continued walking his thoughts floated back to Sakura. Why did she like Sasuke so much? Sasuke could barely stand her. Hell, he hated everyone, to be precise. No matter how many times Naruto risked his life to keep her safe, she never thanked him once. She instead proceeded to call him an idiot or moron. She would almost start to cry if Sasuke got even the smallest injury. Hell, if Sasuke were to get a scratch, her eyes would start water. Damn that Sasuke. Why the hell did Sasuke have to be so perfect? Just as his brain was about to go on another Anti-Sasuke rant, Naruto was ripped from his thoughts as their sensei's voice reached his ears. 

"Good job you three. You have the rest of today and tomorrow off to relax and heal any wounds. Bye for now, I've got to give the mission report to Hokage-sama." 

With that Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura immediately looked at Sasuke, who had already started to head home. She ran up to him. 

"Sasuke-kun, would you like to-" 

"No." 

Naruto almost grinned as Sakura hung her head. He contemplated asking her out again, but he already knoew the answer. _'Aw, fuck it.'_ He thought as he headed towards his apartment. _'I need a shower.'_ he realized as his apartment came into view. Suddenly, a strange feeling came over him. He stopped and looked around. He could've sworn he'd felt someone watching him. Naruto resumed walking, heading past the Ichiraku Ramen stand. He was very tempted to stop for ramen, but he was way too tired. He finally reached his apartment. He immediately went to his bathroom and took a shower. 

Ten minutes later, he stepped out of his bathroom. As soon as he reached his bedroom, the feeling of being watched came over him again. He quickly looked around his room, searching for some sign of life. Nothing. He headed to his bed and pulled the sheet open. Just as he was as he was about to lie down something in the window caught his eye. He lifted his head to see what it was but it was gone. Something told him it was there, just hiding. He ignored it and laid down, falling victim to a dreamless sleep in seconds, even though it was only five o'clock.

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Okay. Chapter 2 done! Let me know what you think. 


	3. Chapter 03

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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**Chapter 3**

Hinata sat on her bed, the day's event running through her mind over and over again. 

During training that morning, she had attempted meditating like her cousin, Neji, but she found it much too boring. So she walked over and chatted with Shino, who, she discovered was working on a new formula for his bug's food. She asked if there were any herbs he needed, but he said he was fine. She then went in search of Kiba, finding him in the woods practicing with Akamaru. They stopped when they smeeled her presence. She made small talk with Kiba as she petted Akamaru. As they were talking, Kurenai-sensei showed up and offered to take them out to lunch. 

Hinata couldn't remember the name of the restaurant that their sensei had taken them to. It wasn't a fancy place, but it was a nice, sit-down restaurant. She ordered a salad, Kiba had ordered a steak, to Kurenai's slight displeasure, and Shino, claiming that he wasn't very hungry, just had water while he fed some of his bugs his new formula. 

After lunch, Hinata had headed across town towards the North gate. She had heard from Ino yesterday that Sakura had gone on a mission with her old team, which meant Naruto had gone too. She remembered asking the blonde kunoichi, almost frantically, when they'd be back. Ino had simply replied that the'd be back in less than a day, which relived the blue-haired kunoichi. Hinata had then politely thanked the blonde and left. 

Right now, Hinata had just reached the North gate. She had only one problem, she didn't know exactly when they'd get back. She'd just have to wait for a while. She sat down on a nearby bench and waited. She sat quietly, listening to the wind as it gently breezed by, in the distance to the south, she could faintly hear the sounds of commerce in the main part of the village. 

Her head turned at the sound of the gate opening. A familiar blush started to grow at the sight of Naruto, for whom her secret love would never end. Half a second later, she nearly fainted at the sight of all the nicks, cuts, and bruises that littered his body. 

She watched silently as Team 7's former sensei said something to them and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Not a second after he had left than Sakura had walked over to Sasuke. Hinata immediately knew what Sakura was attempting to do, and just as easily knew what would happen, Sakura was going to be denied, as usual. She almost smiled, but at the same time felt sorry for the pink-haired kunoichi, when she saw Sakura get shot down for the umpteenth time. 

Expecting Naruto attempt to ask Sakura for a date now, Hinata turned her attention back to her love. But Naruto had already headed home. Hinata stood and started following the spiky-haired blonde, all the while, chanting to herself _'I'm not a stalker, I'm not a stalker'_. After a few minutes, Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. Hinata froze, not knowing what to do. She saw Naruto's head turn towards her and she quickly ducked behind the wall of the shop she had stopped next to. Shaking, she activated her Byakugan. She silently watched as Naruto looked around curiously, shrugged his shoulders and head off again. 

Hinata exhaled in relief, and resumed following him, at a slightly larger distance, though. She was able to follow him the rest of the way to his home with no problem. When he entered his apartment, she silently walked around to the back of the complex and to the large oak tree that grew there. She reached up, grabbed the lowest branch, and hauled herself up with a grunt. She continued to climb the tree, blushing as she remembered the number of times she had climbed up here and silently watched Naruto. She would watch him eat, sleep, and read, or, at least, attempt to. She propped herself up onto her usual branch. The branch was perfect for the little 'hobby' of hers. It pointed directly at Naruto's bedroom window. She sat down, her back to the trunk of the tree and one leg lazily dangling next to the branch. 

She perked up as she heard his shower turn on. _'Naruto-kun? Showering?'_ she thought. Her familiar blush crept up her cheeks, 'then,' she realized, 'that would mean, he's nude.' Hinata paused as she felt a weird sensation in her nose. She tentatively reached up and checked. When she pulled her hand back, her eyes widened when she saw a droplet of blood. Her head picked up again when she heard his shower turn off. _'Oh, Kami-sama, give me the strength to not faint'_ she pleaded silently. Her eyes widened yet again as she saw Naruto enter his bedroom, clad in only a towel around his waist. She could feel that weird sensation in her nose again, she knew it had to be flowing by now. She gasped as his head turned towards the window. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had swung herself down and around the mighty oak tree she was in, stopping on a slightly lower branch on the opposite side of it. She tried with little success to control her heavy breathing. After what felt like an eternity, she crept back around the tree and saw that he was gone. 

She propped herself back on her branch again. When she looked through the window, she smiled at the sight that greeted her. Naruto had fallen asleep facedown on his bed, his head tilted so that he was facing the window. _'He looks so…so…relieved'_ she mused. Then she noticed his clock. _'5:03! Oh no. Dinner is at 5:30. Oto-san will not be pleased.'_ She jumped out of the tree and broke into a run towards her home.

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Okey-dokey! It's finally done. Well, actually this is only about half of what I intended to write. The rest should come in a week. Until then, I just want to thank all who reviewed, thank you all! I hope to hear from you by next weekend. Bye! 


	4. Chapter 04

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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**Chapter 4**

Hinata was still confused about what she had experienced next. 

Hinata had arrived at the Hyuuga estate, her head hung low to hide the now-dried blood under her nose. Luckily for her, the guards were used to this, and dismissed it as her shyness acting up. She had quietly entered into the main house and immediately headed for her bedroom. On her way, she passed her father's office, to which the door was slightly ajar. She tried to quietly sneak by, but stopped when she heard something. Looking inside, she saw her cousin, Neji, standing next to her father, Hiashi, at his desk. Their backs were to the door so they did not see her. She listend intently, attempting to decipher their conversation, but they were a little too far, so she could only hear bits of it. What she heard consisted of… 

"…Hinata-sama…" 

"...barely…" 

"…suitors…" Hinata's, eyes widened at hearing this, but continued to listen as they mentioned some of the shinobis around her age. She could hear her cousin explain a little about them to her father. She furrowed her eyebrows. Why did it feel like someone was missing from that list? 

"...who?" she heard her father ask Neji. She noticed Neji stiffen slightly, which was uncharacteristic of him. He gave a sigh. 

"Uzumaki Naruto" 

Hinata almost froze. He was the one missing from her father's list of suitors. Why was Neji mentioning him? It was then that she remembered that she had to get to her room to wash off the dried blood from under her nose. 

Hinata stood silently and walked as quietly and quickly as she could. A minute later, she entered her room and immediately ran to her private bathroom. Running some lukewarm water, she grabbed a cloth, wet it, and rubbed away at the dried blood. It was gone in seconds. She sighed in relief, but the relief would not last long. She jumped when she heard someone knock on her door. 

"W-who is it?" she asked warily. 

"It's me Hinata-sama" came the response, it was Neji. "Hiashi-sama says it's time for dinner" 

"Oh, o-okay. I-I'll be there in a m-minute." 

"Alright." Was all he said before heading to dinner himself. 

Hinata turned off the water faucet and stepped out into her room and towards her closet. She quickly changed out of her training outfit and into a slightly more formal outfit, and topped it off with her favorite grey jacket. She checked herself in the mirror. 'I look as good as I can, I guess' she thought. Standing in front of her bedroom door, Hinata took a deep breath before opening it and heading down to dinner. 

As she walked through the hallway, she tried to calm her nerves, 'Alright Hinata, you know what to do. Just pretend that nothing happened; you never saw or heard the conversation. Just go in there and try to pretend that nothing unusual happened. Oh, Kami-sama, help me.' She took one more deep breath. 'Here goes nothing' she thought. 

Hinata gave a shy smile as she entered her family's private dining chambers. Her father was there, as were her younger sister, Hanabi, and her cousin, Neji. At a young age, Hinata had insisted that Neji eat with the main family, it was her way of apologizing to him for what happened to his father, Hizashi, every time he ate. 

Hinata sat down at her regular seat, to Hiashi's right and Neji's left, and Hanabi on the other side of her father. Hiashi rang a small bell. To their left, a door opened and in stepped three servants with platters of food. They set the food in front of the four Hyuugas and left. The meal was eaten in an uncomfortable silence, but Hinata was pretty used to it by now. Hanabi and Neji finished quickly so they could continue training. Hinata had just finished and was about to leave when her father stopped her. 

"Just a minute, Hinata, I'd like a word with you." 

"H-hai. W-what is it, O-otou-san?" 

"Hinata, you know your eighteenth birthday is coming upin a couple weeks, right?" Hinata nodded. "Now, I know that you know the tradition that the heir it to married on their birthday." She nodded again, 'So that's what Otou-san and Neji-nii-san were discussing.' "But," Hiashi continued, "I have decided to change this tradition slightly," Hinata's eyes widened, "Instead, I have decided that you may choose who you wish to marry, and you must choose within two months after your birthday. So I want to seriously start thinking of some possible future husbands, alright?" 

"H-hai." 

"Alright then, you may go now." 

Hinata gave a bow, left her father's presence, and headed immediately to her room. She appeared to be in deep thought, but inside was practically screaming for joy. She could choose who she wanted to marry. She already new who, but she was worried about her father would think. She arrived at her room and entered. She changed out of her evening clothes and into her nightgown. She crawled into bed and thought once again about the man she wanted to marry. As she drifted off to sleep, she mumbled his name. 

"Naruto-kun."

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My sincerest apologies for such a long time between updates. But I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. And you can all look forward to the beginning of a new story coming in August. 


	5. Chapter 05

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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Chapter 5 

Naruto woke up the next morning feeling refreshed as usual. With a stretch and a yawn he was up and ready to go. He quickly changes his clothes, even though it was just another bright orange jumpsuit. He stepped outside and inhaled deeply the morning air. Immediately set out for Ichiraku Ramen. He arrived and sat at the first seat, and, rather rudely, ordered. 

"Oi, Ji-chan! I'll have a large miso to start." 

"Naruto-san, please quiet down. We have other customers." Ayame scolded him, pointing to the only other person there. 

Naruto looked to where she had pointed to find the Hyuuga heiress, Hinata, sitting at the other end of the stand. 

"Ohayo, Hinata-chan!" he yelled over to her. She didn't even flinch. "Hinata-chan?" Puzzled, Naruto walked over to her. Sitting down next to her, he asked again, "Hinata-chan?" 

This time he got a reaction. Hinata jumped and swung her head around to face him. 

"Oh, N-Naruto-kun." She said, obviously shaken. 

"Are you alright, Hinata-chan?" 

"A-actually, no" she said hanging her head. 

"No? What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned for his friend. 

"I'm j-just going through s-some family issues." She told him. 

Naruto gave her a comforting smile, "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always come find me." 

Hinata blushed at his smile, "A-arigatou, Naruto-kun, I'll r-remember that." 

"Here's your ramen Naruto-san" said Ayame, setting the bowl in front of him. Hinata, finished with her ramen, stood up. She reached into her jacket and pulled out her wallet. She was about to pull out some money to pay for her meal, but was stopped by Naruto. 

"No, don't worry about it." he told her, "My treat." 

"Oh, I c-couldn't ask you t-to…" she protested 

"I insist." He said. Hinata looked at him. He had the most heartwarming smile on, and his cerulean eyes shimmered in kindness. 

"Well, if y-you insist." 

"I do." Naruto turned to the owner. "Oi, Ji-chan! Put her meal on my tab, will ya?" 

"I will, Naruto-san, and stop shouting. I can hear you fine." 

Naruto turned back to Hinata and smiled again. 

"A-arigatou." She said. 

"Anytime, Hinata-chan." He said, giving her his good-guy pose. 

She blushed at his kindness. "I-is there anyway I c-can repay you?" 

"Nah, don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. Anything for a friend." She smiled, remembering that that was one of the reasons she loved him. He would do anything to protect his friends, or make them happy. Suddenly her mind screamed at her, 'Tell him! Tell him now! You know you want to.' She knew, 'Of course I want to tell him, but I get so nervous, and I cant.' 

She did the only thing she could think to do. Her face redder than ever, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his cheek. Naruto froze, eyes wide, his ramen halfway to his mouth. She pulled away and ran out. Naruto's head swung to look at where she had just been, the door. She was gone. 

He turned back and stared straight ahead, his mind racing. 'She kissed me, but why? Why would Hinata-chan kiss me? Why would anyone kiss me for that matter?' A small voice popped up in the back of his head, 'Think, Naruto! Now, why do people kiss?' 'Because they…love each other?' Naruto responded. 'Correct. Now, try to link those two together.' 

Naruto didn't even sit there for more than ten more seconds before he got up and ran out the same doorway Hinata had, his ramen forgotten. 

Naruto ran as hard as he could. 'I've got to find her' was his only thought. He searched everywhere he could think of. He even ran into a few of his fellow shinobis. He asked them if they had seen her, but none of them had. After three hours, he finally gave up. He had thought of going to the Hyuuga estate, but he knew that they would never let him in. Since he couldn't find Hinata, Naruto decided that he'd do what he had originally planned to do today – train. 

When he arrived he saw the last person he wanted to see today. 

"Sasuke-teme, what the hell are you doing here?" 

"Isn't it obvious dobe? I'm training." 

"No, I mean, what are you doing here with her?" he said, pointing to Sakura who was sitting under a tree a little ways away. She stood up, she knew where this was going. 

Sasuke just shrugged, "She followed me here." 

Naruto grinned slightly, "Just like an obedient lap-dog." 

His was responded by Sakura's fist connecting with his skull. "I am not a lap-dog!" she screeched at him. 

"Don't kid yourself!" he yelled back. "You follow him around like a lovesick puppy, and Kami-sama knows why! Don't you get it? He'll never care for you! He can't! It is physically impossible for Uchiha Sasuke to feel any emotion other than hatred and anger." 

Sasuke just stood there, and as Naruto said, he was angry. Angry at Sakura for following and annoying him. Angry at Naruto for being…well…Naruto. He just continued to stand there as, for the first time, to his knowledge, Naruto yelled at Sakura in anger. 

"He doesn't care for you, he never cared for you, and he never will! Just give up okay? I gave up on you, and for a damn good reason, too. I Because you're just a selfish, cold-hearted bitch!" 

Sakura and Sasuke were shocked at what he'd just said. 

Naruto continued, "I cared for you! I saved your life several time, and not once did I even get a fucking 'Thank you'! I even saved you from Gaara, and what did you do? You thanked Sasuke! Even after he and Kakashi-sensei told you that it was me, you did nothing! No 'Thank you'! Nothing. You know what? Stay with Sasuke. You deserve him. You deserve to be with someone who will treat you as badly as you've treated me!" 

Sakura stood there, terrified by Naruto, whose eyes were flashing red. Even Sasuke was a little wary of Naruto, though he would never admit it. Naruto stood there, glaring daggers at Sakura. After a moment, he turned and stalked off. 

Sakura stood there, still stunned at Naruto's harsh word. She turned to Sasuke. Sasuke just stood there with his usual stoic expression on his face. When he saw her looking at him, he just gave a shrug and walked deeper into the forest to continue his training.

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Okay! Chapter 5 is finally done. I hope you all enjoy it. 


	6. Chapter 06

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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Chapter 6

Naruto sat at his usual thinking spot, the top of the fourths head. The Hokage monument had always been a calming and inspirational place for him. It also had the best view in town. Actually, he rarely looked at the town. He usually just stared into space and let his mind water, and today was no different. Today his thoughts wandered as usual, but they kept coming back to that kiss Hinata had given him. After some time, he realized the sun had already set and decided to head home. Once home, he did his usual routine: cup ramen, shower, and fall onto his bed and pass out.

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One week later, Naruto was strolling around town with nothing better to do. Suddenly he found himself outside the Yamanaka's flower shop. Feeling that he had nothing better to do, he stepped inside.

"Hello!" He greeted Ino, who was sitting on a stool behind the counter looking through a magazine. 

She looked up at the greeting. "Naruto?" she asked. "What are you doing here of all places?" she asked curiously.

"Ah, I had nothing better to do so I was walking 'round town, and I just passed by and decided to stop in."

"Oh, okay. Well, if you need anything, just ask." She told him.

"Okay." 

Naruto peered over the counter a bit. "Whatcha lookin at?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm just trying to figure out what to get Hinata for her birthday."

"Her birthday's comin up?" Naruto asked bewilderedly.

"Yeah. It's in a week. Didn't you know?" Ino asked, surprised.

"I had no clue!" Naruto was almost yelling in a panic at this point.

"Hinata said she invited you. Didn't you get an invitation in the mail?" Ino asked.

"I don't get mail." Naruto responded as if it was nothing unusual.

"You don't get mail? Why?" Ino asked, surprised.

"I dunno. I've never gotten mail." Naruto responded calmly. "I never cared about it. But what I should be caring about is what I should get Hinata."

"Well, I can't help you. I don't even know what to get her myself." Ino said.

Naruto stared pacing around the store, trying to think of what to get the Hyuuga heiress. After a few minutes, he looked up, and he noticed the door to the back room of the store was slightly ajar. On the third shelf, he noticed a small, hand stitched doll. 

"Ino?" he asked, "Do you know where I can get lots of fabrics?"

"Why?"

"Cuz I've got an idea." 

"Uh…well, there is a place on the other side of town. They have almost every kind of fabrics you can imagine, and in a wide variety of colors, too."

"Great! I gotta go!" he yelled. He ran out of the floral shop and headed to the other end of town, nearly crashing into several people on the way.

When he finally arrived, he made sure to buy some of every color they had. Carrying the bundles of fabrics in his arms, he attempted to run home, stopping every once and a while to make sure all the fabrics were still there.

Once home, Naruto tossed the fabrics down on his table, and, after some searching found his scissors. He sat down at the talbe, "Alright," he said, "let's do it!"


End file.
